Killer of 46-year-old family man left behind 'devastation'

The killer of 46-year-old Tomasz Kopec left ‘devastation’ in his wake, say his family, as they mourn the loss of ‘kind, patient and loving’ grandfather.

Nikola Wisniewska, 27, the eldest of Mr Kopec’s four children, wrote in a victim impact statement about the hardships on his whole family, which was read out in court today (Monday).

“To lose a parent is hard enough, but to lose them to murder is something we will never truly come to terms with,” she wrote.

“Seeing him in the hospital – weak, lifeless, unrecognisable… Seeing someone you love in that state, someone who was always so full of life, is something you never forget.

“We are haunted by thoughts we can’t escape, thoughts of his final moments... wondering if he knew he was going to die, if he was scared, and if he felt alone.”

The court heard how Mr Kopec’s youngest son, who was 18 at the time, had been preparing for his gap year and this time of excitement was turned into one of ‘grief and loss’.

“Then there is the impact on his grandchildren. Our dad was a huge part of our daily lives,” Ms Wisniewska said.

“I have had to find the impossible words to explain to my five-year-old daughter that her granddad has ‘gone to be with the angels.’  She was confused and heartbroken.

“During the trial, when I had to attend court every day, she would ask, ‘You promise that man can’t hurt you, mummy?’ No child should have to worry about something like that.”

She continued: “It has been gut-wrenching to hear and read the things said about our dad throughout the trial and on social media – the speculations, the false allegations, the attempts to paint him in a way that couldn’t be further from the truth.

“Hearing our father’s name associated with things like ‘assault’ or worse – things that were proven untrue – has been almost unbearable.

“He was never violent or cruel. He was patient, calm and always defused tensions rather than creating them.

“It breaks our hearts that his reputation has been tarnished in death when in life he was the kindest man imaginable.

“He was gentle, kind, patient, hardworking and loving. Everyone who met him would say the same.”

Also left bereft are Tomasz’s two siblings, with whom he was ‘incredibly close’.

“His brother and sister are broken by the fact that they will never get to see him, speak to him or share another laugh again,” said Ms Wisniewska. “For them the world will always feel emptier without him.

“We now live every day with the weight of his absence.”

Nowicki’s children, the youngest of whom is six years old, ‘have also lost their father… and that weighs on us, too,’ added Ms Wisniewska.